The Family Responsibilities Commissioner says the Cape York welfare reform trial in far north Queensland has been a worthwhile investment despite the cost.

The trial in four Indigenous communities has cost Queensland and the Commonwealth more than $100 million since 2008.

The trial included withholding welfare payments to improve school attendance and reduce violence in the communities of Aurukun, Hope Vale, Coen and Mossman Gorge.

Indigenous Affairs Minister Glen Elmes said yesterday the program had not delivered significant gains, despite the investment.

He said the State Government could not justify further spending.

Indigenous leaders were yesterday at odds over the Queensland Government's decision to stop funding the trial.

Commissioner David Glasgow, who oversees the scheme, says valuable work has been done to improve school attendance and reduce crime.

"It's certainly been costly, and while I won't comment on the evaluation until you and the public have seen it, what it says to me is that it is far better to invest in youth and children and to see the growth in the schools in these places, so that they will improve their lives beyond what we would normally have seen without [the] introduction," he said.

Commissioner Glasgow says while the organisation has been deeply unpopular with some Hope Vale leaders, it has made a big difference.

"The people in Hope Vale, who are in charge of Hope Vale, have public views about the welfare reform and the Commission, but the people of Hope Vale have accepted it well," he said.

"There is less crime, there is less domestic violence, there is greater school attendance there.

"There are a lot more things to be done in Hope Vale because in many respects compared to other communities it's got a long way to go."

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